Sing, dance, and pray!

In the time that we have been in Nashville, we've met people from Burma, Iraq, Thailand, Nepal, Lebanon, Sudan, Somalia, Congo, Egypt, Cuba, Ethiopia, and several other countries. We've been surrounded by numerous different languages, cultures, and of course beliefs. We've played with these amazing people, ate with them, sang and danced with them, prayed with them, and just listened to their stories. These past few weeks have opened my eyes to so much...to the realization that material things are really so unimportant, that smiling and laughing are universal, and that the lostness of this world is so real. However, meeting and worshipping with other refugee believers has been the greatest and most eye-opening experience of all. 

Praying together with a Cuban family, worshiping at a Burmese Bible study, and hearing refugee youth tell how they want to be missionaries, has filled my heart with so much joy. Yes, there is a lot of work to be done here in Nashville with so much pain and confusion, and often helpless and lostness among the refugee population. 

My heart is broken for the people here who have experienced so much pain without the hope of Christ, but this also makes me want to share my joy in Jesus with them even more. On the other hand, there ARE people here who get it...who, after everything they've been through, are still trusting in the Lord and praising Him. We even got the opportunity to hear an international choir comprised of the refugee kids we've met. I just know that's what Heaven will be like one day, where people from every nation will come together to praise our Savior, and I can't wait!

-Elizabeth